There’s a Republican primary underway in Missouri, and if you want a case study in how modern political hit jobs work, look no further than what’s being done to my colleague, radio talk show host turned candidate Chris Stigall.

Stigall is now running for Congress, and instead of a debate over ideas, records, or vision, his opponent has chosen a different route. A slickly produced video built on selectively edited clips, designed to make it sound like Stigall is saying things he never actually said.

You’ve seen this before. You know exactly how it works.

Before we go any further, watch the video they’re pushing:

pic.twitter.com/SlqsSmJ9Jc https://t.co/SlqsSmJ9Jc https://t.co/UuNy3SUvHt— Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) April 10, 2026

pic.twitter.com/SlqsSmJ9Jc https://t.co/SlqsSmJ9Jc https://t.co/UuNy3SUvHt

Now that you’ve seen it, let’s talk about what’s actually happening.

Because this is not a good-faith critique. This is narrative construction through omission.

And if it feels familiar, it should. This is the exact same playbook used against Donald Trump with the Charlottesville “very fine people” hoax. Take a real quote, strip away the surrounding context, remove the clarifying language, and repeat the edited version until it becomes “truth” to people who never saw the original.

Now........

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